Students partner with neuroscientists: Can practicing mindful meditation three minutes a day change their lives?

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Science and Education

“One of the traumas of our modern time and education is that we vastly underestimate the potential of the mind to transform and flourish. We are dealing with our mind from morning until evening. It can be our best friend and our worst enemy. The film CHANGING MINDS AT CONCORD HIGH documents an innovative contemplative science program for disadvantaged youth that illustrates and responds to this challenge.”

Matthieu Ricard, author, scientist, photographer, Buddhist monk

Check out our interview with Matthieu Ricard on mindfulness and neuroplasticity:

Harvard Graduate School of Education

RESEARCH FINDINGS

The research is not yet completed. Here is a summary of the results* we have as of May 21,2013:

Taken together, results suggest that only three minutes of mindfulness practice a day was able to promote the emotional well-being of at-risk adolescents. Specifically, we found support for our prediction that youth in the mindfulness condition would show enhanced resilience: adolescents in the control group showed sharp increases in trait anxiety over the course of the study, whereas those in both the mindfulness and placebo (simply sitting) conditions showed no change in trait anxiety, suggesting mood stabilizing effects. Moreover, follow-up analyses revealed differences between the mindfulness and placebo groups. For the mindfulness group only, those who experienced decreases in trait anxiety over the course of the study showed better coping and more positive emotion regulation, suggesting that mindfulness specifically, not just sitting, was able to bolster positive emotional adjustment.

* Concord High School and Tracy Dennis’ lab are compiling additional data at this time.

“ATTENTION MAYOR BLOOMBERG: WATCH “CHANGING MINDS AT CONCORD HIGH SCHOOL” MINDFULNESS ROCKS! …and the Academy Award for Best Documentary Goes to a Feel-Great Film That Demonstrates Life Changes at Concord High School After students learn Mindfulness techniques.”